Hooker's Evening Primrose
Oenothera elata
Hooker's evening primrose is a stout western native with tall spikes of large yellow evening flowers, thriving in moist meadows, ditches, and streamsides. Like other evening primroses, the root is cooked like salsify and young shoots are eaten sparingly — sources disagree on how much shoot is safe to eat, so err on the side of caution.
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- biennial
- Height
- 5–5 ft
- Spacing
- 2–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- June, July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- butterflies, pollinators, songbirds
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~16 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- border, naturalizing
- Native states
- AZ, CA, CO, ID, IL, KS, MO, NM, NV, OK, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY
Related native plants
More Oenothera species
- Tufted Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa)
- Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
- Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
- Scarlet Beeblossom (Oenothera suffrutescens)
- Birdcage Evening Primrose (Oenothera deltoides)
- Missouri Evening Primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa)